Decision: Alyne da Silva Pimentel v. Brazil

08.16.11 - In the first maternal death case to be decided by an international human rights body, the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) establishes that governments have a human rights obligation to guarantee that all women in their countries—regardless of income or racial background—have access to timely, non-discriminatory, and appropriate maternal health services. Even when governments outsource health services to private institutions, they remain directly responsible for their actions and have a duty to regulate and monitor said institutions.